My Swan Princess
by lilmoosic011
Summary: The Swan Princess from Derek's Point-of-View.
1. Turning Over a New Leaf

I got this crazy idea a few months ago to re-write the movie from Derek's POV, just because I thought it'd be fun :) Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Swan Princess…:(

Derek's POV

I crossed my arms and stared at the door that I'd just been forced through by my mother.

Why did we have to see each other every god-blessed summer…excluding last year. The girl had presumably been far too busy with such-and-such to visit. It was the best three months of my young life.

Stupid meddling parents. I sighed and put on my best 'I really don't want to be here face'. Turning slowly, I gazed spitefully at the blonde harpy that I was forced to be with for the last 16 years.

She, arms akimbo, turned to face me.

They say first impressions are the most important. I begged to differ. And it appeared that she did too, judging by the look on her face.

There was something significantly different about her. I had anticipated that she would one day become a bit more…pretty? Was that the word for it? No. Stunning. Striking. Invigorating. Gorgeous.

Odette's spiteful grimace transitioned slowly into one that looked approving…almost to one of admiration. At that instant, all the years of bickering, teasing, and torture dissipated into a distant memory.

Good God, she was extravagant. Her weight shifted to both feet as she turned toward me and smiled, wringing her arms, almost nervously. I found it quite a cute display.

Odette moved toward me across the ballroom's gleaming gold floors, her off-white dress trailing gracefully across it with her light pace.

My breathing hitched when she dropped a sincere curtsey. I acknowledged with a deep bow. When I stood up, and when her beautiful cerulean eyes met mine, my breathing hitched and my heart raced uncontrollably.

I let my hand leave my side and move outwards, beckoning her to take it. She complied, sending the signal that she was interested in putting all our past nonsense behind us.

I pulled her closer to me lightly, and, for what seemed like an eternity, we stared into each other's eyes. How on earth could that spoiled little brat that I'd been forced into an arranged marriage with… change and transfix me so quickly? Surely I was losing my mind…and I didn't care.

"Hello." She greeted me politely.

Her voice was sweet and sincere and made my heart pound even harder.

"Hi." I greeted her back, not taking my eyes off of her for a moment.

She smiled and glanced away. Was she blushing? I chuckled to myself.

"It's been a while." She said, looking around the room.

"Yes, it has." I said almost subconsciously, still not looking away, admiring her wandering gaze.

"This place hasn't changed one bit," she continued. "But you have." Looking back, she gave a light smile.

Hard to believe we used to hate each other's guts for at that moment, I thought I felt something completely the opposite. "So have you." I decided to play up the chivalry a little bit; bringing her hand to my face I kissed her knuckles tenderly. I could've sworn I heard a small gasp.

I looked back up and past her shoulders I saw William and mom looking through the cracked door. Curse it, all. Those two couldn't keep out of anything could they?

Pretending like I hadn't noticed them, I turned my attentions back to Odette.

"They're right behind us aren't they?" she whispered.

"Definitely." I quietly answered, suppressing a laugh.

"Do you want to escape before or after they start turning this poor room into a party?"

"How about now?" I laughed, taking her arm and whisking her out of the room before the madness began.

Mwuahaha :)

I quite like Derek's POV, don't you? :)

R&R


	2. Broken Hearts

**Hello everyone! Wow! This is the most reviewing I've ever gotten for a single chapter! I'm sorry I haven't written in a while…hiatus is a betch :) But I'm here and so is chapter 2! **

**~Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 2

Stupid. Obtuse. Idiot. Dimwit…STUPID!

There weren't enough words in the world to describe my incompetent actions that day.

Not only had I jumped to the chance of finalizing our betrothal without asking her how she felt first…I up and insulted her!

Along with feeling extremely stupid, a large weight of guilt was looming over me like some ominous dark cloud.

"You must see something beyond her beauty." Lord Rogers repetitively lectured me over and over again.

Truly, I was sure there was a lot more to Odette than her beauty…but after spending well over a decade-and-a-half spiting and fighting to displease each other, you don't really pay any special attention to personality quirks. And after really only getting to talk to her for about an hour or so before the ball began didn't help much either.

All I saw when I looked at her that day was a gorgeous young woman with her heart on her sleeve; placed there especially for me.

And what did I do with it? Tore it out, squeezed and pulverized it until there was naught left but a fine crystalline dust; A small pile of reddened sand.

The idea of proving my love to her…just seemed to be the only option. But then, as I thought out possible scenarios, a shadowy figure crashed through the study wall, startling Rogers, Bromley, and I.

I recognized him a moment later as being King William's escort party's captain, a noble man who I had known for many years, possibly since I was introduced to Odette over 15 years ago.

Ditching our chess game, I ran to retrieve information from the fallen knight.

"We-We were attacked," I could've sworn my heart stopped and my brain halted for a second or two. "A great-animal." He sputtered out.

After my essential organs decided to regulate themselves, I instantly panicked, thinking of the worst. "Odette." I said quietly, so I thought, to myself. Laying the Captain's head down gently, I ran out the swinging door into the rain.

I could hear Rogers shouting after me, but I did not listen, pushing my legs toward the stable to retrieve my fastest horse, Thames. As I ran, I stopped only for a moment to instruct a servant to fetch a medical team to the study. The lanky young boy looked confused and startled, but ran quickly to perform his duty.

Reaching the stable, I knew I only had a few precious moments to arrive there. Driving Thames as fast as he could go, I took the main route to the docks, the lightning and thunder and wind swirling around me, adding to the suspense of the moment.

* * *

When I reached the site of the attack, I threw myself off of Thames, letting him trot freely to a stop himself, knowing that he wouldn't leave me there. Searching through the wreckage, I saw no sight of Odette. Shouting her name again for the umpteenth time, I looked down into a puddle and saw something both beautiful and terrifying.

Odette's locket.

Beautiful as the locket was, it was an ominous find because its misplaced state meant that Odette was attacked in some way as well.

Just then, I heard some sort of labored breathing, looking toward the carriage; I felt a sharp pang of distress.

King William, a strong man of over half a century and then some, had always been an idol of mine. Although I wasn't always so fond of his daughter, it made me think no less of him.

Lying in what appeared to be a pool of his own blood, King William rasped what sounded like my name.

Kneeling down beside him, I gently lifted his inevitably dying body a few inches off the ground.

"What happened? Who did this?" I asked urgently.

"It came so quickly," he paused to cough. "A great-animal."

Getting no sense out of the old king's words, I pressed as to where his missing daughter was. "Where is Odette?"

"Listen to me, Derek." He whispered in anguish. "It's not what it seems. It's **not** what it seems."

"What's not?" I asked, a little frustrated and confused, wanting to find Odette before it was too late. There was nothing left that I could do for him. "Where is Odette?" I asked frantically.

"Odette is…Odette…is…" Taking his final breath, he broke the news. "Gone…"

Distraught, with seemingly nothing left for me in the world, I shouted Odette's name in pure agony, fell to my knees in the middle of the road, and cried, clutching the locket to my heart.

* * *

**R&R**


	3. Training and Answers

Chapter 3

* * *

As the morning light poured through the clouds, I tightened the hold on my quiver's shoulder strap. It was going to be a long practice, and I intended on making them longer over the next few weeks.

The last few months had been hell, to say the least.

After the attack, the entire kingdom was scoured, looking for any sign of Odette or of the 'Great Animal' that King William's final words had mentioned. There was no trace of either of them anywhere.

While everyone else, including mother, had finished their grieving state, I was an absolute wreck. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, I could barely motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning, if I had gotten any sleep at all. At that point in time, everyone had given up on it, and presumed her…well, dead. But I refused to believe it. Odette was strong. Somewhere inside me knew that she was still alive…the only remaining questions were one, where was she, and two, who put her there?

About a week before, it occurred to me that I hadn't practiced any archery within a fortnight; an odd thing for me to forget…but I assume the grief had taken over my mind's entire schedule.

The sound of Rogers arguing with his band snapped me out of my phased-out state. I felt kind of bad for the bumbling musicians, probably on mere hours of sleep. It was usually the servants that dressed up as animals for our practice sessions…however, they had been given the day off, and I was fully intent on having practice nonetheless.

"Come on guys." I said, pulling an orange-padded arrow out of the quiver and shot it off my boot. "They're harmless!"

Through my color-coordinated blindfold, I could vaguely make out the band members dressing themselves in random articles one would not normally wear, in order to make the game more realistic, grumbling and griping all the while.

I felt the tug of the string on the blindfold and heard Rogers counting down to 0. Off the blindfolds came and away flew the animals. My eyes took almost no time to adjust to the changed light as the arrows pulled rapidly from the quiver simultaneously flew after them, staining the 'animals' with orange powder spots.

When we were done, I had reached a grand total of 398 over Bromley's 300…which both Rogers and I knew he cheated to get…however, that last shot at the 100 point rabbit was still lucky nonetheless.

I laughed to myself as I proved myself the victor, yet again. Bromley sauntered over and began ranting some nonsense about bravery and courage, and as he rambled on, I saw the mischief in Roger's stare as our glances caught for a moment, and then he too joined us. "How about a game of, Catch and Fire?"

* * *

Blood coursing through my veins with immense speed and pressure, I dug my feet into the ground, bracing myself for the right moment to spin and catch the arrow; the arrow that if aimed wrong or caught at the incorrect time, could possibly end my life. I could hear Bromley fidgeting behind my turned back, nervous for the same reason. "Come on Brom, hold it steady." I pep talked him, or, rather, myself.

"Now!" he sputtered a few seconds later.

Timing it out in my head, I swore I could hear the cyclone of air spinning around it as it flew toward me.

One, two, three! Turning sharply on my heel, my hand stopped the arrow mid-flight. Perfect, now to get it back at the target. Aiming it for the piece of red fruit tied atop Bromley's armored head, I taught the arrow on the string and released.

It was a perfect hit, slicing the apple directly in half.

"Fifty-two out of fifty-two! Well done, Derek!" Rogers announced to me, letting me know that I still had not failed at our 52 rounds of Catch and Fire.

As Rogers taunted Bromley, as he usually did, I felt a painful surge in my chest, as though the arrow _had_, in fact, pierced my heart to some degree. Odette was depending on me to find her, and I still didn't feel ready. "Don't lose hope, Odette." I spoke into the distant horizon past the woods. "Wherever you are, I'll find you."

* * *

The next day, I spent no time training, but instead, all day reading. It felt as though I had searched through every book in the bloody kingdom. Over and over, I repeated King William's final words in my head.

"_Listen to me, Derek. It's not what it seems. It's __**not**__ what it seems."_

Frustrated, I closed the book I had been reading. "What did King William mean?" I asked myself, going back to search another section.

Book after book, title after title, nothing possibly pointed to what could or would help me.

Jumping on a ladder to reach a higher shelf, I came across a book I hadn't seen before…I thought.

I pulled it out and opened it to a random page. The page's descriptions caught my eye. Flipping through a few more pages, it occurred to me that this was possibly what King William had talked about, and it was all I had to go on at that point.

Inside the book was a description of an animal that could transfigure, or change its shape, at its own will. For example, if one saw a mouse, one would think it completely harmless. But, if that mouse were to turn into a dragon, then it would not be what it seemed.

"Now I'll find you, Odette." I said, a bit ecstatic to prepare for the journey into the woods to look for her.

Jumping from the ladder, book in hand, I set out to find Bromley, but was stopped by my mother.

"Where are you going?" she asked after I kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"To find the Great Animal." Walking away again.

"Ok. Just make sure you're back by tomorrow night." She said, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Tomorrow night?"

"Th-The ball!" she complained, pointing to what looked like an RSVP letter.

Oh God, she was at it again. "Mother…I-I can't." I said, looking to the book and back to her.

As soon as the words left my mouth, hers puckered into, what Bromley and I dubbed, the "lip-thing". Damn. "Please Mother…don't do the lip thing." Bother. I was powerless to resist. "Fine. If I leave now, maybe I can be back in time." I said, stalking away, defeated.

"Thank you Derek!" I heard her shout joyously.

"But please, Mother," I begged. "Don't turn it into one of your beauty pageants." I'd been forced through so many of those in my life that I couldn't bear another one.

"Oh, no! It's just a few friends…" I heard her say, and then she mumbled what sounded like and their daughters. I knew she'd do it anyways. She never took my advice much. Even though she knew I was determined to find Odette, she still threw princess after princess in my face. It was not that these beautiful girls were not good enough; it was that I knew that Odette would be broken-hearted if she ever found out that I had given up too.

No one could replace her. Ever.

And I, for one, was not giving up on her.

* * *

**R&R Pleaz =D**


	4. Hunting

****

Chapter 4

* * *

The forest was quiet. Too quiet, save for the occasional bird chirping overhead, which even such a small noise would startle poor Bromley into thinking that we were under attack. The in-depth description of the Great Animal's ability to shape shift I had given him must've manipulated him out of his wits…even worse than usual.

"How will you know the Great Animal when you see it?" he asked, petrified, I could tell.

"I'll know." I responded assuredly. "Better stay close."

I nearly dropped by bow as he stumbled over a log into my back. "If you say so." He chuckled. I turned back to the thick forest that surrounded us, senses on high alert. Ready as ever, for anything.

It was at that moment that the guilt took over me again. If I had not been such a jerk to her…she wouldn't have been miles from home. We'd be together…but, most importantly, her father would still be alive. I wondered if she knew about his death for certain, or if she had just assumed the worst. Either way, I knew it was absolutely necessary that she be found…I didn't want to lose her, too.

About two hours or so later, the search so far fruitless, I was already finding myself growing tired of hunting. "You can't give up." I kept reminding myself. "Odette isn't getting any safer by waiting."

Suddenly, a flash of gold reflected across my line of sight. Before I could get a good look at it, I jumped behind a tree, a last-minute chance at possibly hiding myself from whatever approached. Carefully, I poked my head out from the side of the tree and examined the source of the flash. A white bodied bird, with a long neck and an exquisite wingspan. "A swan?" On any normal hunting outing, this would be a hunter's luck. But another thought was crashing through my mind. "_It's not what it seems."_ King William's voice kept repeating inside my mind.

"A swan! Of course…it's not what it _seems_." The swan was an easy target…and it made perfect sense. One would think a swan to be innocent and harmless…but then, as the book said, _it's too late_.

Arrow taught, I turned back to face the bird which was…mysteriously flying right toward me, to my luck.

"Just a little closer…come on…come on!" I egged it on.

When I thought it was close enough, I jumped from the shadows, making myself known to the beast. It stopped mid-flight as I pointed the arrowhead directly toward its heart. "This one's for Odette!" I shouted.

As the arrow hurled toward the swan, a black flash of feathers pushed it out of the way. _An accomplice?_ I wondered. Too infuriated with the failed assault, I gave chase. As they continued to speed onward, I shot another one up toward them. "Damn." I whispered as it very nearly missed the black bird that accompanied the swan.

Positioning myself on a rock ledge, I drew another arrow from the quiver and aimed it at them again. But before I could shoot, the sun blocked my vision, burning my irises in the process. While I struggled to see, and the birds thought they had the advantage, I scurried away to the cliff that overlooked them. The sun was already beginning to set, so I knew that I had to get this over with as soon as possible. Aiming the same arrow, I let it fly. With a quick flash of motion, they ducked into the canopy. Enraged, I followed down a path of rocks along a waterfall eventually leading myself into a grove of trees.

Damn. No sight of either of them…until a thump on the forest floor drew me to, what looked like, the wounded puffin bird. He was covered in some sort of red liquid, which seemed to be blood, until he lurched up and snapped my foot, which moreso startled me than hurt me, although it did sting a bit. Giving chase for the third time, the bird pair eventually led me to a deserted castle overlooking a large lake.

The crumbling sandstone of the towers and foundation gave the castle an eerie-looking and foreboding aura to it. The lake was placid, and there was almost something…magical about it. Transfixed by the place I was led to, I had completely forgotten the task at hand, until the target swan made itself known again by gliding down into the center of the lake, almost as if it had nothing to lose. "What?" I asked myself, confused. Perhaps there was more to this swan then I'd originally thought…but I wasn't going to let my guard down.

"Gotcha." I whispered, aiming another arrow at the bird, adrenaline pounding through my veins. A sharp pain tore through the side of my head as the puffin sideswiped me before I could shoot. I was irrevocably pissed now. I took the same arrow intended for the swan and aimed it for the puffin as it cawed out victoriously.

But just before I was about to strike, a warm, golden glow reflected through the trees, drawing my attention back to the swan.

In disbelief, I watched as the swan was surrounded by a magical sheen of colored water, and transformed into someone I thought I'd never see again.

"Hello Derek."

* * *

_**Nahahaa.**_

_**Soooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long :\ Meh bad :)**_

_**R&R pleaz!**_


	5. Reunion and a Plan

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"_Hello, Derek."_

A double take was definitely in order. A triple take, quadruple take, septuple take. Did what I'd just seen really happen? I blinked once, twice, a million times before my mind registered that it might really be…her.

"Odette…" A barely audible whisper of self-recognition forced itself out as I unknowingly discarded my bow and sprinted out into the lake to embrace tightly what I held most dear.

A warm tidal wave of relief, joy, and bliss washed over both of us as I swung her joyously and sat her down for another look. This was way too good to be true. Even though she was at the end of her rope with me the last time I'd seen her, I could tell she was truly exuberant to see me, as I was to see her.

Lowering my lips to hers, an extraordinary energy passed through me. Her soft lips tasted like sweet red strawberries and her tight embrace felt like a wave of warmth, crashing down with pleasing rapture into every cell in my body.

"Oh Derek, I've missed you so." She exalted after we broke apart.

I shook my head. "No one believed me…but I knew…" I gushed, ecstatic to see her again.

"You can't stay!" she interrupted shortly, making my heart sink.

"Can't stay?!" I was shocked. Was she not happy to see me? Perhaps there was something else bothering her. "No! I'll never let you out of my sight again!" I drew her in for another protecting embrace, not wanting to let go. Refusing to let go.

Much to my dismay, she partially pried herself from me. "Listen to me, Derek…"

"Odette!" a strange voice shouted.

"Oh no!" Odette said, her voice slightly tipped with fear and anxiety. I stood still holding her as she looked around toward the direction the voice resonated from.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned and a bit more alert. "What's going on?"

"It's him!" She answered quickly.

"Who?"

"He-he has me under a spell." Odette said, her eyes meeting mine again.

"Who does?" I demanded. No one was taking her from me again. Whoever this was, he was messing with the wrong guy. "Let him come…I'll-" I moved in front of her; covering her to protect her from this man.

"No!" Odette interrupted frantically. I just stood there in shock at her. "He has great power…you must go!"

"Then you're coming with me." I said, grasping her shoulders.

She shook her head again. "I can't! Once the moon sets, I'll turn back into a swan!" She explained. "Please, Derek. You have to trust me! Go!" She said, urging me to leave.

"There must be some way to break the spell…" I trailed off, trying to reason with her. While in my mad dash to discover the secret of the Great Animal, I remembered reading in a book of alchemy and sorcery that every curse has a counter-curse or a method to breaking it.

"There is. You have to make a vow of everlasting love-"

"I make it! It's all I've ever wanted!" I blurted out, though truthful.

"You must prove it to the world!" She said, her eyes shining with a bit more emotion

"How?"

"I-I don't know!" She panicked as this man shouted her name again. I held her to try and calm her, but she would have none of that.

"Go!" she urged me even further.

Just then, an idea hit me. "I've got it! The ball! Tomorrow night, come to the castle…and before the whole world, I will make a vow of everlasting love."

I could vaguely see a beautiful smile splay across her face.

"Odette!" This man's voice sounded outraged now.

"I'm coming!" she answered him, and then turned back to me. "Go!" She pleaded.

"Tomorrow night." I said, lifting the golden locket that I had forgotten about off from my neck.

"Yes. Tomorrow night." She acknowledged. "Now go!" She whispered.

Tossing the locket to her, my last glimpse was of her catching the locket and then turning back to face this man. I ran back to find my stallion that I'd tied back where Bromley and I had began our hunt.

Odette's sweet scent still encircled me. I took a deep breath and took a glance back.

"_We'll be together again, Odette…tomorrow night."_

-----

After a few hours of searching for Bromley, I'd given up, figuring that he had already returned to the castle hours before.

Once I returned to the castle, I invaded the ballroom with aspirations of dropping a few clues to my mother and the others that were preparing for the ball that would be held the next night. I figured it would be fun to rub it in that I had found Odette after they had all given up, but I was much too excited to be bad mannered.

Amidst my frenzy, I had asked over and over again if anyone had seen Bromley. After all negative responses, I was a little worried. Perhaps he had gotten lost…or maybe he had gone straight to his room once he had arrived. I let it go. Although he wasn't the brightest person, he did know those forests like the back of his hand, as did I. We often hunted in those woods and it was unlikely that he would be lost in such a place.

I returned to my bedroom a little after midnight. I lied awake for about an hour, lost in thought. A million questions plagued my mind. Would Odette make it? How would mother and the others react when she shows up? But the most prominent one burned into my mind about every other thought.

_Who was the man that cursed her?_

There were only a few known sorcerers and sorceresses left in the area that I knew of. Grindelwald, Herbentis, Jesibella, Izmira, Tyrifan…but they were all good enchanters. None of them would resort to dark magic even if it meant it would save their lives. They all took a solemn oath to only use their powers for good.

Maybe it was someone that had threatened William's kingdom. I didn't know of any at the time. I decided to look into it and ask mother tomorrow as a finally satisfying slumber took over.

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**R et R sil vous-plait :)**


	6. Betrayal

Chapter 6

* * *

As more and more of mother's ball patrons, accompanied by their daughters adorned in extravagant dresses, arrived, I felt myself growing more impatient by the second. I barely recalled any names, let alone Rodgers rambling off their introductions. Trying to be as polite and civil as possible, I greeted every one as they came, each princess grinning significantly more than the last.

It was tiring, to say the least, but, in an effort to satisfy mother, I played along with her game and acted as if each girl was closer to becoming my fiancée.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a hopeful knock came upon the door.

As Odette descended the staircase with more finesse, her black gown trailing behind her, I could not help but feel completely entranced by her appearance. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted mother hovering between patrons in order to get a better look. It felt good to prove her, and the rest of the world, wrong. It was odd that Odette did not take notice of those around us that she would have missed in all the time that she was gone, but that was not the biggest thing on my mind that evening; Breaking the curse was. Goal-oriented, I greeted her as she drifted gracefully toward me.

"I was so worried, I almost thought-"

"Nothing could keep me away." She assured me, her voice seeming a bit more distant than I had hoped. Another oddity. In an effort to get the ball rolling, no pun intended, I motioned to Rogers to begin a waltz.

As time flew by effortlessly, I had lost track of how many waltzes we had danced, and how many words we had exchanged- very few. As we stopped in the middle of the song, I couldn't help but feel a bit estranged from her.

"Something about you seems…I don't know…different?" I tried.

"Don't worry." She said, almost indifferently, bringing out the golden locket I had given her at our last meeting, assuring me that it was the real Odette. "After tonight, everything will be perfect."

"Yes," I said, taking the locket and adorning it around her neck. "Yes, of course."

We danced a few bars, when an overpowering urge to make the vow right then took over. "Rogers, I want to make an announcement." I said, catching his attention. "Stop the music."

As the symphony ended, I offered my arm to Odette and walked us toward the center of the dance floor.

"Kings and queens, ladies and gentlemen." I addressed. "Mother." I was sure to include her. "I have an announcement to make. Today, I have found my bride. I present her to you as the future queen of our fair kingdom. And as proof of my love for her, I make a vow to break all vows, a vow stronger than all the powers of the earth, before you and before the whole world; I make a vow of everlasting love, to Odette."

As the crowd's cheers echoed throughout the hall, another sound took over. It was the blistering crack of thunder that emanated from outside.

And that's when it all went downhill.

As the windows crashed and the door flew open, time seemed to stop. The guests were frightened and I did my best to stay on my guard.

In the door stepped a face that was unfamiliar to me, but must have been familiar to most of the guests, as many cries of astonishment erupted.

"No more Mr. Nice Guy! No siree!" he cackled. "Hello little prince." He said, addressing me first.

"Who are you?" I asked, shielding Odette.

"Went and pledged your love to another, eh?"

"What are you talking about? This **is** Odette!" I protested.

"No…Odette…is mine." He growled.

In a moment's time, I recognized his voice. "It's you!" The one that had captured Odette. "You have no power here! I made a vow…a vow of everlasting love."

He laughed in my face. "You made a vow all right!" he shouted. "A vow…of everlasting," he rose his hand and flashed a light at Odette. "DEATH!"

"No!" I shouted, running over to her fallen body. "Odette!"

The instant that her face was revealed, I knew I had been betrayed. Turning back to him, he glowered at me.

"You should have left her to me. Now…Odette will die." He motioned toward the window, where the faint white glow of a struggling swan was flying away.

"ODETTE!"


	7. The Final Battle

**Chapter 7**

I felt so foolish. That I could let Rothbart accomplish what he had set out to do. Racing to the stables as fast as possible, I threw on a saddle, jumped onto my fastest horse and rode off into the night, chasing after her.

As I rode, his voice echoed throughout the forest. Determined not to let him get to me, I pushed his taunts out of my mind as best as I could.

When a thicket of brambles appeared in our path, Granger reared back in refusal. Not wanting to deal with him, I jumped off and began hacking away at the debris with my claymore, which cut through surprisingly well considering the blade was rather dull.

As I ran the rest of the way to the lake, where I knew Odette had headed, I could almost feel some sort of connection severing between us. It was a very foreboding feeling, but it only drove me closer to saving her.

When I reached the lake, I searched frantically for Odette. At long last, I found her. She was laying on the cobblestones beneath a large tree, just short of the lake- a sight that will forever haunt my memory.

"Odette?" I whispered, trotting over to her, keeling beside her and lifting her into my arms. "Oh what have I done to you?" I asked, glimpsing at her face which was motionless and drained of its once beautiful color. "Forgive me, Odette." I begged. "Forgive me."

"Derek?"

With disbelief, I drew her back. "Yes, Odette. I'm here." I said, reassuring her of my presence.  
"Derek," her sweet, angelic voice faltered as she whispered my name. "I feel so weak." She said, falling back weakly into my arms. "I think I'm-"

"No." I stopped her, not allowing her to finish her thought. "You'll live, Odette." I whispered, taking her face in my hands. "The vow I made _was for you_."

Her eyes opened slightly, as if she hadn't the strength to keep them open. "I know." she feigned a smile, brought her hand to my face, and, with her last ounce of strength, whispered the most beautiful words, "I love you, Derek."

"Odette."I could only manage a whisper.

As she collapsed onto the ground, having used her last ounce of breath to confess her true feelings, agonizing realization took hold of me.

"The vow I made was for her," I whispered, feeling the powerful elixir of anger and vengeance boil through my veins. "Do you hear? The vow I made was for **her**!"

"No need to shout."

Turning with fury, I stormed up to Rothbart. "Don't let her die." I shouted.

"Is that a threat?" he replied, nonchalantly, making my blood boil.

In an angry flash of movement, I jerked at his cape and shouted in his face. "Don't you dare let her die!" I commanded.

"Oh," He taunted in his undeterred tone. "It is a threat!"

"You're the only one with the power," My patience was wearing thin. "Now, DO IT!"

With a swiping backhand, I was pushed back onto the gravel.

"Only if you can defeat _**me**_!" he hissed, his eyes glowing red as he formed a flash of magic in each hand, shrouding himself in it's glowing aura. In an instant, he was transformed into what I had sought for months.

"The Great Animal."

His deafening roar pierced the forest. Reaching for the claymore once again, I approached him with certainty and obligation. But he was too fast, as he jumped onto and I was knocked down, losing my sword in the process. The pressure of his weight was excruciatingly painful. Reaching for the closest weapon, a cluster of rocks, I threw them in his eyes. He reared backward and screeched. I took the opportunity to recover my sword and took a daring swipe at his wing, slicing a wound into it. He hissed at the wound and returned his glare back at me.

The fury that burned in his eyes was nothing compared to the anger that inhibited me. "I **won't **let her die." I challenged.

His face changed, almost to that of a sneer as he lifted off and flew so high that I lost sight of him. While I searched frantically, he was able to hide behind the top branches of a tree. He crushed through the limbs easily and, once again, pinned me beneath his weight. This time, he was able to snatch the claymore and broke it easily into pieces with his jaws. One again, taking the closest resource, a rock, I smashed it as hard as I could into his talon, sending him off me.

As I tried to recover, he struck again, cutting through and leaving a gash in my side, and also sending me rolling along the ground. Before I knew it, he snatched me up and flew high into the sky. I struggled against his firm grip on my shoulders, but to no avail. He stopped mid-flight and I felt him let go. The chilling feeling of falling took over, and I braced for impact, but there was none. Before I hit the ground, the animal snatched me up again, this time flinging me into a tree.

Even as the blow from the thick oak trunk stunned me, I was able to break off a dead branch and swing it to ward him off. It was not an effective weapon, as he crashed down upon me, breaking the bow on which I stood, sending me reeling toward the ground.

The impact with the ground knocked the wind out of me. I was without strength as I tried to pull myself up, but I could not. My physical limit had been met, and I was going to lose.

As I faded in and out of consciousness, I could only think of Odette. My sweet Odette. Her gentle laugh, her beautiful face, the sweet taste of her soft lips. It gave me an unsettling peace to know that we would at least both die together.

I could hear Rothbart's screech of victory before I heard the furious beating of wings growing closer. But before he struck, I felt something hit my face. Something cold and frantic. I was able to pull myself up and see…a frog? He pointed behind him where my bow lied. A diamond in the rough if I'd ever seen one.

I was immediately invigorated and had a new sense of hope. No. We did not have to die on that night. I would win this battle. But fate had other plans. I reached behind me to retrieve an arrow. No quiver hung there. It was over. He'd won.

"Oh please." I heard a shaky voice whisper.

"Brom?" I turned to see Bromley, a comforting sight, aiming an arrow toward me.

"Now!" he shouted, releasing the arrow.

I turned and counted it out. Just like Catch-and-Fire.

Wheeling around in the nick of time, I caught the racing arrow and quickly placed it where it needed to be: right through Rothbart's cold, evil heart.

Rothbart's last scream will forever haunt me. It was chilling and I was rooted to the spot as he plunged toward the lake and exploded in a cloud of smoke and light.

Afterwards, I quickly raced back to Odette's side. Taking her in my arms, I let the tears flow freely as I cradled her to me one last time.

"Forgive me, Odette. Forgive me. I only wanted to break the spell," I sobbed. "To prove my love." The words came out with ease as I poured my heart and soul into them. "I love you…your kindness and courage…I always have." Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, I buried my face into her long golden hair.

"Derek?" Odette's sweet voice whispered.

I thought I had imagined it as I drew back from her. "Odette?" Sure enough, her beautiful, tired eyes shone brightly as she pulled me into her embrace.

"Oh, Derek." She whispered. I locked her in a firm embrace. Disbelief and exhaustion took hold, but it didn't matter. Odette was alive. I was alive. And that was all that mattered.

**A/N: I will be doing an epilogue for this :) Then onward to a new story! Review, my pretties!**

**-lilmoosic011**


	8. Epilogue

**A/N: This will be the last chapter :) Thank you all for your reviews and patience throughout this story. Enjoy!**

**Epilogue**

"Good morning, sleepy-head."

Odette placed a sweet kiss on Derek's forehead as he came out of his slumber. His face broke into a smile when their eyes met. "Good morning, princess."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting on the side of his bed, taking his hand.

"Exhausted, but I feel much better now that you're here." He said, kissing her hand.

"I'm so sorry about all of this." Odette said empathetically, removing a stray hair from his face. Derek had been in the castle's infirmary, recovering for over two days. His injuries were extensive, but he was recovering quickly. Odette had been by his side for almost the entire forty-eight hours.

"Odette, please," Derek cooed, brushing a tear from her face. "Do not blame yourself for this. It was out of both our hands. It hurts me to see you put yourself down."

"I just feel horrible about everything that's happened." She whispered, turning away from him to hide her tears.

"Come here." Derek told her. She nestled herself safely in his arms as they lied together. "I'm just glad we're both alive. And as long as we're together, that will be enough for me."

Odette closed her eyes and moved closer to him. She too, was exhausted from the ordeal. But there, safely fitted against each other, lost in their own peaceful world, nothing else mattered.

"I love you." She heard him whisper before drifting into sleep, his steady heartbeat as her lullaby.


End file.
